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Comic-Con fan alert: The first step in getting a badge for the always sold-out convention starts today, organizers announced.

Still unknown, however, is when the much coveted single- and multi-day badges will go on sale.

In a change from previous years, Comic-Con International is requiring all prospective attendees to first sign up for their own member ID before being able to purchase a badge to get into the convention, which will be held July 12-15.

Organizers say that step will ease the efficiency and speed of the online registration system, which in the past has been quickly overwhelmed by thousands of people vying to purchase a badge.

An unlimited number of ID's will be available to all adult and junior attendees (age 13 to 17) with a valid e-mail address. The member ID registration will close Feb. 28.

Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer said he did not know yet when badges will go on sale. The organization's website notes that getting a member ID will alert individuals to important registration announcements. Glanzer, however, also advises people to keep an eye out for announcements on Comic-Con's website, Facebook page and Twitter feed.

"We don't have a date for badges yet," said Glanzer. "We want to make sure we have as many things in play to make sure the sales are successful."

Last February, when badges went on sale, they sold out within seven hours.

During the 2011 Comic-Con, organizers allowed a certain number of attendees to purchase badges for this year's convention, which led to huge lines of fans, who in some cases spent the night in hopes of nabbing admission to the 2012 meeting.

Glanzer could not say how how many badges were sold but said it was a small percentage of the total number available.

Last year's convention drew 130,000 attendees, an increase over the year before because organizers used nearby convention hotels to hold some panels and events. Comic-Con has committed to staying in San Diego through 2015.

"We're trying to find ways to deal with the lack of space in the convention center," Glanzer said. "It's a problem we're constantly having to deal with. We're working with the hotels, and we got a lot of positive response from attendees about using the hotels because they realize the facility has limited space.